One percenter Bloomberg maybe an ally
of the occupation movement. He has done much to help this movement
grow. The first time I and others saw the protesters in Zucotti
Park, we dismissed them. Drummers and musicians perform for money
all over New York City on a frequent basis. The pepper spraying of
marchers on union square changed all that. For the first time,
Occupy Wall Street got mainstream media attention. For the first
time, the movement was known to the public.

Bloomberg wasn't done. Apparently he
felt Occupy Wall Street needed a bigger boost. So when the marchers
tried to cross the Brooklyn Bridge they were arrested. Seven hundred
protesters being arrested caused the occupy movement to go worldwide.
Media from the smallest players to the largest players covered this.
The movement grew until it had political influence. An anti union
law was overturned by public referendum in Ohio. A conservative ban
on birth control was defeated in Mississippi. A move to recall Scott
Walter in Ohio is in the works.

Despite all the good things happening
because of Occupy Wall Street, Bloomberg evidently wanted us to step
up the pace. While OWS worked hard, in camps around the country you
had some lazy people who did nothing but sleep, drink, and party.
While most protesters were law abiding citizens, there were a
minority of criminals who wanted to take advantage of the openness of
protesters. And yes, there is truth to this particular element
causing health hazards such as insect infestations and other health
hazards. Too much in the way of resources was spent on people
camping out in the park. So the movement needed to be literally
cleaned up, and Bloomberg delivered. In order to make this into a
full fledged political movement, Bloomberg had to join the national
move to close the camps. The mayor's office conducted a sneak raid
on the camps. In the early am hours Zucotti was surrounded. This
was at a time when lawyers and judges are sleeping, when there are
almost no passerby, and when most media aren't going to be present.
Trains bypassed stops in lower Manhattan. The press were not allowed
in, Journalists were roughed up and arrested. The police shut
Zucotti Park down. Networks weren't allowed to fly helicopters over
to film this raid. According to the New York Daily News, 8
journalists were arrested.

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The brutal tactics didn't wash well
with the public. Worldwide it gave occupiers a big boost in moral.
Mainstream media was more sympathetic with protesters. Coming out of
the American capital of media, this occupy shutdown got attention
like no other occupy shutdown would. Occupy now doesn't need the
camps. Like any other group of people, occupiers have cellphones,
computers, and electronic media. Occupiers may not be able to camp
out in locations, but the real work of any political movement isn't
in camping. Thank you, Mayor Bloomberg, for giving occupy, the city,
and the world this new day.